SuperCrew with 6.5-foot box

By Derek McNaughton, Postmedia News

Originally published: May 31, 2012

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

Most of us know that warm sensation of “home.” Step inside the place we hang our hats and the feelings of familiarity, comfort and privacy are there to embrace us each time we return.

Strangely, those same emotions were evoked when I climbed aboard a 2012 Ford F-150 FX4 SuperCrew recently. Equipped with the much-lauded EcoBoost engine, the four-door was white, spotlessly clean and loaded to the teeth, including a 6.5-foot box. Outfitted almost exactly as I would order an F-150, it felt almost like stepping into my own home, partly because of the truck’s footprint but also because the F-150 just feels so … right.

Whether that’s the latent pickup part of my brain talking (all people have this, studies have shown, it’s just usually dormant until he or she climbs inside a truck) or just plain lunacy, I’m not sure; but Ford really does build appealing trucks, not only on the exterior, but interior too. I would even go far so far as to say the F-150 is the best vehicle in Ford’s portfolio.

The SuperCrew’s rear-seat legroom is ample enough to ferry heads of state, any one of whom would appreciate the easily accessible 110V and 12V outlets. The front thrones are extremely comfortable, too, and the commanding view of the road makes the driver feel fully in charge, just like a site boss should. The sculpted hood looks good from the driver’s seat and the truck isn’t difficult to negotiate in traffic, though the long bed makes parking and U-turns a more delicate affair.

Ford still needs to swap the amount of plastic in the F-150 interior and opt for a wider variety of soft-touch materials. But the rest of the interior is properly assembled, with legible gauges, ample storage pockets, a massive middle bin and an integrated radio, phone and navigation system still working off the much simpler Sync system, rather than the busy MyFord Touch in most other Fords. The interior, with thankfully no faux wood in sight, needs its own switch for the interior light and one for the dash lights, as well as an individual switch for the bed light — which could also benefit from LED treatment to make things brighter. The sunroof could use a better deflector to quell wind noise when open, and the mirrors could be more aerodynamic to reduce what little wind noise they produce. Apart from those mirrors, there’s almost no wind noise in the cabin at all.

The big question for many considering an F-150 is whether to choose the EcoBoost or the 5.0L V8. Ford makes plenty of noise about how fuel efficient the EcoBoost engine is but I can assure you much of that is hyperbole. The EcoBoost, while still being the engine I would choose if buying an F-150, is only marginally more efficient than the 5.0. If you’re thinking EcoBoost for the economy — don’t. The best highway consumption I could achieve at 100-120 km/h was 14.5L/100 km. In the city, the figure was closer to 19L/100km average.

The real reason to choose the EcoBoost is the big bucket of available torque, all 420 lb.-ft. of it ready and eager as low as 2,500 rpm, which lends itself to a tow rating of between 8,000 lbs. and 11,100 lbs. depending on the tow package. Maximum payload with the proper towing package is 2,310 lbs. But the other bonus that comes from the V6 Turbo development is the unbelievable smoothness and silence. Honestly, this engine is as quiet as an S-Class Mercedes at idle. Under load, if you listen carefully, you can just hear the whisper of the twin turbos spooling up. There’s virtually no turbo lag under acceleration. Under load, the engine pulls with an impressive lack of vibration, making the tasteful cabin that much more enjoyable. While it’s unfortunate the EcoBoost option costs an extra $1,250, it is money that will return itself in dividends of satisfaction.

As for the FX4, this is the trim level that brings the lines of the F-150 to life, with plenty of blacked out parts, a grey grille, body-colour front and rear bumpers, fog lamps, angular cab steps and 18-inch machined aluminum wheels. While I may have scoffed at the optional $300 tailgate step and $300 box access side steps, I found myself using them just about every time I used the cargo bed. It’s the best $600 you’ll ever spend on your back.

The FX4 also adds a locking rear differential for genuine off-road use, all of which brought our tester to just under $60,000. While that’s before discounts and factory incentives, which remain plentiful, it’s still a substantial sum for something that’s just as much a working tool as it is sophisticated transportation, and well above a handsomely-equipped Toyota Tundra.

Introduced in 2009, the current generation F-150 may just be starting to show its age, missing such increasingly-common technologies as push-button start, smart-key locking and unlocking, start/stop fuel saving, HID headlamps and a tasteful use of brighter LED lighting on the exterior and interior.

But the F-150 remains a versatile, hard-working truck that’s always a joy to come back to, continuing to offer the comforts of home regardless of where you live.